Microsoft will launch its first foray into modern wearable computing in the next few weeks, according to ‘sources close to the project.’ Depending on which source you listen to, Microsoft’s wearable is either a smartwatch with fitness band functionality, or a fitness band with limited smartwatch capabilities. Can Microsoft’s smartwatch succeed where the Kin, Zune, and Surface have failed before it?

Lost in the cavalcade of so-called Smartwatches is what a watch is really for — a way to help you keep track of time and time-related activities. Let’s hope someone comes up with a smarter watch instead.

You can look at the new Apple Watch in two ways: At the $350 price point, it is one of the best-looking, best-designed watches you can buy. The other way of looking at it is this: You’re paying $350 for something that you might wear once or twice, and then quickly relegate to your interesting curios (read: junk) drawer when you realize that it’s too bulky to fit under your shirt cuff or use at the gym, and that you have to recharge it every night. Do you really want a smartwatch? And more importantly, why do you want a smartwatch?

Later today, Apple will reveal its latest hardware for the world to see. The rumor mill is betting heavily that Cupertino will announce the long-awaited iWatch and larger iPhone models, but anything could happen. We’ll definitely see new hardware at the event, but you’d be wise to take all of these rumors with a grain of salt. Regardless of what Apple has lined up for us, video of the entire event is being streamed live, and I’ll be live blogging the whole time. Check back here at 1pm ET (10am PT, 5pm UTC), and be the first to see what Tim Cook has up his sleeves.

At the iPhone 6 event in California, Apple’s ‘one last thing’ was the reveal of the new iWatch. As expected, the iWatch is a round-faced smartwatch that pairs with your new iPhone 6 (or any other modern iOS device with Bluetooth), while providing all of the usual health-tracking functionality of other smartwatches via a bevy of clever sensors. There is a sapphire glass front panel to prevent any wear and tear, and NFC and digital wallet support so that you can pay for things using just your smartwatch.

We’re just a few days away from Apple’s special event on September 9, and right on schedule the New York Times has published a detailed exposé — most likely leaked directly by the highest echelons of Apple — of everything that we can expect. We now have almost-certain confirmation that the iPhone 6 will come in two flavors — a 4.7-inch model, and a 5.5-inch phablety monster. Furthermore, Apple will also reveal its first new product since Tim Cook took the helm from Steve Jobs three years ago: the iWatch.

After years of rumors, leaks, and false starts, it seems the stars are finally swinging into alignment this fall: Apple is now expected to unveil an iWatch smartwatch alongside its new large-screen iPhone 6 at an event on September 9. Presumably the iWatch would also be released alongside the iPhone 6, a week or two later. Previous rumors had pointed to an October unveil for the iWatch, but it seems Apple has moved it forward — possibly in response to the Samsung Gear S, LG G Watch R, and the Moto 360, all of which will be released over the next month or two. Just as the iPhone and iPad popularized the smartphone and tablet, will the arrival of the iWatch signal the beginning of the wearable computing revolution?

Whether you like it or not, it seems this fall will be all about the smartwatch. This morning, following LG’s tease of the round-faced G Watch R, Samsung has unveiled the Gear S — the first major smartwatch with its own 3G connection, allowing it to send/receive calls and generally act as an internet-connected smart device without being paired to a nearby smartphone. Is the world ready for a standalone smartwatch? Do we even have the battery technology to allow a 3G smartwatch to run for more than a few hours?

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